"We are going to certify these individuals to make sure they're proficient and accurate with their firearms," Mike Robison, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said.

He pointed out that zoo officials make sure DART members know how to handle dangerous encounters with wild animals.

"We have nothing to do with assessing a threat of an animal. That is outside our realm of expertise," Robison said. "We are not experts in animals. We are very specialized in firearms,"

But as specialists in firearms, members of the Sheriff's Office can try to make sure DART members are ready and steady in the event of a worst case scenario at the zoo.

"We are going to put them through certain drills," Robison said. "They are going to stand, sit, kneel, shoot from various distances -- 25, 50, 75 feet -- and different angles. Things like that."

Certification documents for the zoo's DART program date back to 2012.

The certification process involves a pass-fail system, with each DART member having to hit a certain percentage of targets in a variety of high-pressure situations.

"Year in and year out, the zoo brings their employees here (to the Sheriff's Office firing range) that are part of the special response team and certifies them," Robison said. "We've had no problems. They've passed with flying colors. They've been very accurate, proficient in what they do."

A spokesman for the Cincinnati Zoo said the team, formed in 2002, is currently comprised of 14 full-time Zoo employees.

According to zoo director Thane Maynard, the team trains regularly in case a situation like the one involving Harambe were to happen again.

Some members of the team are experienced hunters, WLWT was told. That doesn't surprise Lingsch.

"The individuals that are called on to do tasks like that probably fire thousands of rounds," he said. "I'm not surprised at all that a hunter would be willing to do that, a well-trained hunter that is an expert marksman, and that's who that individual was."